Dragon's Milk
by Egypt
Summary: A young woman has been kidnapped and her memory. All of her memories are gone, even some that link her to two infamouse enemies. Will she ever regain her memories? And what exactly is it that links her to these two blood enemies. Chp. 3 now up
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: The X-MEN do not belong to me. Never have, probably never will.

Dragon's Milk:

Chapter 1

by Egypt

How long had it been? She couldn't remember. The days had seemed to blend together, each one running into the other with no evident split and no way of marking the end of one and the beginning of the next. It had been that way for as long as she could conceivably remember. She wasn't sure if this was how her life had always been or not. Her memories were short and choppy at best never coming in fully understandable portions. Instead only small snippets came and then went never answering the questions that haunted her and most often just leaving more questions.

She looked up from her crouched position in the corner as he stepped into the darkened living room. Every window in the house had been covered with a thick blanket and if he caught her looking out any of them he would beat her. He wanted to make sure that she never knew what was outside, and that no one ever knew she was inside.

He was a scruffy looking man and it made her sick to look at him. Not just because of the way he looked, but more because of what he had done to her. The beatings had left her bruised and battered, and she didn't even want to think about the other things. She wasn't sure how she had come to be with him, or even who he was. All she remembered was waking up one morning to his yelling followed shortly by the first beating. Since then it had been almost a daily occurrence, the beating followed by his apology and then the sex. She wasn't sure she could take it anymore. It made her want to retch just thinking about it.

"It's snowin' again," his voice was like salt on an open wound causing her to wince, "Looks like it'll be a while before it stops this time."

He went over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. Popping it open he moved over to stand next to her his hand reaching down and running through her tangled hair. She fought the urge to cringe away knowing that if she did it would only start another beating. After a few moments he moved away from her, causing her to breath easier. He didn't smell as bad as he looked, but he disgusted her just the same.

She watched him carefully, waiting for her chance to escape. She had been trying to work out a plan in her head but had so far not come up with a very good one. The only thing that had come to mind was to get a chance and just run for it. By now she didn't care if he killed her, it would be a welcome release.

He walked over to one of the windows and pulled back the blanket that covered it, staring out at the falling snow.

"I should go get more wood," he let the blanket fall back into place and looked over at her, "Don't want us to freeze to death now do we. Of course we could just huddle up in bed together and stay warm that way now couldn't we."

He gave her a lustful smile that made her stomach turn, then turned and went into the back room to get ready to go outside. She waited till he closed the door, then stood up from where she crouched in the corner. She didn't have much time, she knew that, but she was determined to get away. She wouldn't spend another minute living this way. She wasn't sure how she had lived before, but she knew it wasn't like this.

Her bare feet made almost no sound as she crept across the floor to the door, her eyes never leaving the door through which he had disappeared. She let a small smile of triumph cross her lips as she felt her hands close over the brass knob. She held her breath as she twisted the knob hoping that he couldn't hear the soft squeak it made. She breathed a sigh of relief as it turned easily. It was only then that she dared a glance at the locks making sure the deadbolt was unlocked and that the chain was not in it's place. She wasn't sure why they were left unlocked, but at that time she didn't care. With one last deep breath she yanked it open and made a mad dash into the frozen world beyond.

* * * *

Josh was in the bedroom putting on his boots to go out for more firewood. His thoughts were not on the firewood though, they were on the blonde that sat huddled in a corner of the living room. He had 'acquired' her about a month ago and had not wanted to get rid of this one as quickly as the others. This one still had fire and fight in her and was still an amusement to him. The way she fought him was something that none of the others had ever done. They had simply given in, but this one had spirit and he liked that.

He shook his head, smiling to himself as he pulled his boots on. He had plans for tonight. She had become scared of him, always huddling in a corner and only scowling at him. Tonight would change that. Tonight she would see that he wasn't such a bad person, just determined.

He had almost gotten his second boot on when he felt a cold chill creep across the floor of the room. He yanked on his boot and ran to the door yanking it open to find exactly what he had expected. The front door stood wide open and she was gone.

"SHIT!"

In one smooth motion he grabbed his coat off of the rack by the door and shrugged it on, checking to make sure that the gun was still in the left pocket. Satisfied that it was there he took off out the door after her, not bothering to close it behind him.

_~That's the problem with the spunky ones,~_ he thought as he ran through the snow, _~They always think they can get away.~_

* * * *

She tried hard to ignore the burning of her feet as she ran through the snow covered woods in an attempt to escape. She had a head start, but he was wearing shoes and a jacket. Chances were he would catch her, but she would rather die than go back to that. Even though she couldn't remember anything before this life she knew it had to be better somewhere and she was determined to find it, or die trying.

She heard him shouting at her, heard his boots as they crunched through the snow. He was gaining on her and she knew he would catch her soon. She turned long enough to see how close he was, to see how much time she had. That was when she ran into what she thought was a tree. It was solid and didn't even flinch as she hit it, but just as she was about to fall backwards a set of strong hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her. She looked up to find herself staring at the scariest looking person she had ever seen.

Just as her captor (she vaguely recalled him telling her his name was Josh) had let her shower and eat he had also let her watch TV. She had seen lots of things on the TV, but she had never seen anything like this. The man before her had to be a full foot taller than she was with long blonde hair and amber eyes. His face was hard and feline in nature, complete with fangs.

He looked down at her, his eyes cold and hard. She thought she saw a flash of hatred in them but it was gone so soon that she dismissed it as just a fluke. For some reason, even though he seemed horrifying, she wasn't scared of him. To her, he seemed to be like a safe haven. Somehow she knew that everything would be alright now.

"HEY!" Josh's voice pulled the attention of the other man causing him to look up, "Get away from her. She's mine."

A low growl emanated from the larger man's throat as he gently pushed her out of the way and stepped toward Josh. She could now fully see his hands and it made her shudder. They appeared to be human enough, that was if you didn't count the claws that replaced his fingernails. Each one was about three inches long and looked just as menacing as the fangs that he bore when he growled. His body seemed to be all muscle, rippling in his fur covered costume as he moved closer to Josh.

She heard shots ring out and waited for the larger man to fall, but he never did. She counted six shots and with each one she cringed. The last one rang out just as the larger man reached Josh and was followed shortly by a strangled scream as she watched the larger man's claws lash out at Josh's throat. She cringed as she saw the blood splatter into the white snow and the hole that the man's claws had left in Josh's chest and throat. The whole thing only took a minute then the larger man turned and walked back toward her as if nothing was amiss.

She stood rooted to that spot in the snow as he walked back over to her, his hands dripping a bloody trail on to the fresh snow. She shivered involuntarily but more from the cold than any fear of him. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but she was sure it would be better than what Josh had put her through. She looked over to where Josh's body laid on the ground, his blood turning the snow around him a crystalline red color.

_~He deserved that,~_ she thought menacingly to herself, _~For everything he did to me...he deserved that.~_

She flinched as she felt the larger man place his hand on her left cheek, the warm stickiness of Josh's blood warming her chilled flesh for a moment before it to became as chilled as the air around it. She looked up at him and was surprised to see a gentle look in his eyes, a recognition that made her heart jump. It was as if he knew her, but she didn't remember him. She didn't remember anything.

He gently rubbed his thumb across her cheek just under her eye, leaving another trail of blood behind.

"Are you alright Reggie?"

His voice was deep and seemed more animal than human but it seemed to fit his appearance.

_~Reggie!~_ she thought with excitement, _~He called me Reggie! That means he knows me!~_

She opened her mouth to speak, to shout for joy, to ask him who she was and how he knew her...but nothing came out. She wasn't even sure she could talk. All she remembered doing was screaming, lots and lots of screaming. In despair, she finally just nodded, letting him know that she was alright.

He graced her with a toothy smile that looked more menacing than anything else, then released her face and reached down grabbing her hand.

"C'mon," he said, roughly dragging her along after him, "We have a long way to go and you won't survive out here for long."

She didn't understand where it was that he was taking her and she didn't understand the sudden roughness where just moments earlier there had been tenderness but she followed none the less. Anywhere was better than going back where she had been.

* * * *

Sabretooth trudged through the snow with Regina in tow, his mood growing darker the closer they got to their destination. He would have picked her up and carried her but he wasn't sure he could keep the beast within him at bay if she were that close to him. It was amazing he had managed to go this long without trying to rip her apart. He had stopped fighting the beast years ago, choosing to give in to the urges that it awakened in him instead of fighting them. It had served him well, keeping him alive and giving him an edge that no other person alive had. He was a born killer and he embraced that, taking pride in his kills and how he had managed to get away with so many. True, everyone knew he was a killer but no one had ever been able to catch him and hold onto him long enough to prove it...no one.

_~Kill her,~_ the beast inside him hissed, _~She is our weakness. Didn't you see the look in her eyes? She doesn't remember us. Kill her now and we'll be stronger for it. Can't you smell her, hear her blood pumping through her veins. You know what it would be like to see that blood pumping out onto the ground, turning the snow that beautiful shade of red.~_

_'No,'_ he replied, trying to shove the beast back down, _'I came out here to save her, not to take her life. She deserves more, she deserves better and I'm going to make sure she gets it this time.'_

_~SHE DESERVES NOTHING!~_ the beast roared, _~She has been a thorn in our side since the beginning, always showing up when not wanted and always bringing that RUNT with her. We should get rid of her NOW while we have the chance. There will never again be an opportunity like this one...never. Take it now.~_

'NO!' he roared back, _'I WILL NOT! I owe her this much.'_

He could feel the beast concede and retreat to the farther parts of his mind but he knew it wouldn't be long before it came back and tried again. How much longer would he have to fight it? How much longer **could** he fight it before it wore him down enough to take control again? And then what? How would he be able to protect her then? He had done too much to hurt her before, and all because of his overwhelming lust for blood. No, not this time. This time it would be different. This time he would get her to safety before the beast took over...he had to.

* * * *

Reggie trudged along behind the man, shivering with every step. Her feet had long since become numb to the pain of the cold and the rest of her had followed shortly after.

_~Where are we going?~_ she screamed in her head, knowing that he couldn't hear her thoughts.

It was so cold, and she was beginning to grow tired. She wanted to lay down and sleep. She didn't care where, she just wanted to sleep. Sleep would be so nice right now, so welcome. She longed for the numbness and the sweet oblivion that came with sleep. It was always an escape from her troubles.

"C'mon Regg," she heard him say, "It isn't much further."

She pushed on, willing her aching muscles to move even though they rebelled and continuous spasms of pain shot through her legs. It seemed like they had been walking forever, as if they had been trudging through the snow for miles. She had no idea where they were and was starting to wish he had killed her as he had Josh. It would have been easier that way, it would have saved her from this misery.

He stopped abruptly and dropped into a crouch as he pulled her up along side him. He didn't look at her though, he simply stared through the trees into what looked like a small clearing up ahead. He stayed there, still and silent for a long moment, then he pulled her in front of him and grasped her shoulders with both hands.

"Listen to me Reggie," his voice was gruff once again, but there was an urgency in it that startled her, "Through those trees is a house, a large house. You need to go there and knock on the door. They'll help you. Don't look back, and don't turn around, do you understand me?"

She nodded, a question in her eyes that she could not give voice to.

"Trust me. They'll help you. Just go and knock on the door. You'll be safe there. Promise me you won't look back. Promise?"

She glanced over her shoulder, now seeing the house he spoke of. She couldn't see it all but she saw enough. It was not like the cabin she had been in. This house was large and warm. She could see the light glowing in some of the windows, warding off the darkness that was threatening to creep across the land.

She felt him shake her, bringing her back around to look at him again.

"Promise me Reggie."

She simply nodded again.

He looked at her, then reached up and ran his hand through her tangled mess of blonde hair. For the second time since she had run into him in the woods she saw something pass through his eyes but it was gone so fast she wasn't sure what it was.

"Go." he said as he turned her around and gave her a shove in that direction.

She stumbled, then caught herself and started trudging through the snow toward the house he had indicated.

Sabretooth watched her go, fighting the screams of the beast inside him to go after her. He fought with ever muscle in his body to stay in that spot as he watched her walk across the clearing and approach the door. Maybe he was a fool like the beast said, but at the moment he didn't care. He had given her back what he had almost taken from her so long ago. Chances were that the next time he saw her he would try to kill her just as he had so many times before, but for now he was happy to know that there would be a next time.

He watched as she stumbled up to the door and leaned on it as she knocked. He saw movement in the house and waited as the door opened and the one known as Gambit caught her as she began to fall through the open door.

_'She's safe now,'_ he thought, a sense of pride washing over him.

That pride was soon drowned out by the feeling of hatred and self loathing that crashed over him as the beast once again took control. Together they watched as Gambit picked her up and rushed into the house slamming the door behind him.

* * * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: As stated in the first chapter, the X-MEN don't belong to me, never have probably never will. The song lyrics don't belong to me either. Oh yeah, and I aint making money off of this.

Dragon's Milk:

Chapter 2

by Egypt

"In other news the fourth victim of what appears to be a string of kidnappings is still missing. Each victim has been between the ages of twenty and thirty and is usually missing for about a month before they return home with absolutely no memory of what happened during the time they were gone. Police have yet to come up with an explanation and have very little evidence. The latest victim, twenty-five year old Regina Creed, is still missing. Patty Louis has the latest. Patty."

"Thanks Mary. I'm here outside the night club known as the White Tiger which is owned by Miss Creed. Business here seems to be the same as usual but there is an undertone of concern that no one can ignore..."

The reporter's voice faded back into the hum of activity all around him as he tuned it out, not wanting to hear anymore. He came here to get away from his problems, not to hear them blasted all over the news. He had already been chased out of one bar tonight because of his bad temper, he didn't need to make it two.

He picked up his mug and downed the last of his beer, then signaled the bartender for another. The large man walked down the bar and shook his head as he refilled the man's glass and set it back on the bar. He looked at the man and fought the urge to ask him what it was that he was trying to drown. However, like most people would in this kind of situation, curiosity got the better of him.

"Ya wanna talk about it?" he asked, that curiosity coming through in his voice.

"If I wanted to talk about it I wouldn't be here, bub."

The man's voice was strong and firm with not even the slightest hint of a slur, despite that being his fifth beer. He had seen allot of people in his time as a bartender, but never one who seemed to radiate such a feeling of hopelessness. He watched as the man looked back up at the TV screen and a frown crossed his face. The bartender followed his line of vision , finding himself staring at a picture of the latest kidnapping victim. She was a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and stunning green eyes.

"Ya think they'll find her?" he was trying to pull the man into a conversation, anything to get his mind off his troubles.

The man just sat there staring at the picture, his eyes filled with an emotion that the bartender knew all to well. Loss. Too many times he had seen that look in a man's eyes as he tried to drown his sorrows in a few beers. However, for this man the beer seemed to be of no use. No matter how many he drank it didn't seem to drown anything. His eyes were just as clear as ever.

He watched him for a moment longer, then realizing he was not going to answer he moved on. There were other customers that needed his attention and he didn't need to waste his time on this one.

Logan felt the man leave but he didn't seem to care. His eyes were still focused on the TV where the picture had once been. The frown on his face seemed to deepen as the feelings he had been trying to hide bubbled back up again. A low growl issued from his throat as he pushed those feelings back down again, refusing to acknowledge them. Instead he turned his attention back to his beer, downing it in one gulp and then signaling for another. Sometimes he really hated having this healing factor. He couldn't even get drunk when he wanted to, and right now he really wanted to. He wanted to feel numb, to not care about what happened or how it happened. To not care that they had done everything they could and still couldn't find her.

He remembered the night he had gotten the call from Mike. He had been on his way to bed when Mike had called in a panic yelling about her car still sitting in the parking lot but her not being anywhere. Logan had rushed down to the club along with Gambit to see what had happened. They had found her car in the parking lot with the keys in the door and the contents of her purse strewn across the ground. Logan had picked up two scents that night. One had been hers, the other was unknown to him. He had memorized that scent, cataloging it in his brain and keeping it right on top so that if he ever smelt it again he would know exactly where it had come from. There was no guarantee that it belonged to her kidnapper, but he was sure that it was someone who at least knew what had happened.

He shook his head as he started on the next beer. "Six people trained in finding the obscure and none of us can find her." he mumbled, a low growl underlying his voice.

_Logan, _the touch was light, but still unwelcome just as it almost always was. 

_Ya don't wanna be in my head right now Chuck, _he sent back, _It aint a pretty sight. _

There was a bit of a mental sigh, but the presence didn't leave. It lingered, as if trying to decide what to do, or how to say something. 

_We found her Logan, _the words were simple and direct, the mental voice filled with both relief and anxiety.

It took a moment for the mental message to sink in, but once it did Logan was on his feet and half way to the door before anyone even realized he had moved. The 5'3" man stepped out of the bar and over to a Harley that was parked at the curb. A myriad of emotions were coursing through him at the moment, but one was much stronger than all the others. The urge to get back to the mansion. 

_I'm on my way. _with that final message Logan shoved Professor Xavier from his mind and pulled the Harley into traffic on his way home. 

The world around her swirled and coalesced into several different shades, then faded back to black. There was nothing in her mind, nothing but pain and sorrow coupled with rage and hatred. She had never known joy, at least not that she remembered, so the only color that she could focus on was black. Black represented the only life she could remember. It was a color she was beginning to hate.

The darkness started to clear, and to her amazement she found herself back in the cabin standing in the living room. She didn't understand it. This wasn't suppose to be happening. It was then that the first punch hit her right between the shoulders. She fell forward, catching herself with her hands before she fell on her face.

_No,_ she thought, _This can't be happening. I got away. The man in the forest…he killed Josh. I saw him die._

The next punch hit her in the back of the head and she fell to the floor, a shock of pain radiating behind her eyes.

_I can't live like this again. I **won't** live with this. He's gonna kill me, I know he is._

He reached down and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up and around to look at him just before he landed a third punch to her left cheek sending her sprawling across the room. By this time she was crying, red hot tears falling down her face as she grabbed at her cheek.

_No more. Please, no more. I didn't do anything. No more._

He strode over to where she lay, his large frame towering over her as his dark eyes stared down at her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. She tried to scoot out of his way but he followed her, that sneering grin looming toward her as step by step he got closer.

She felt the couch against her back and knew she couldn't go any further. The fear in her eyes was evident as she watched him kneel down, his legs straddling her as he pulled back his left fist and swung again. She braced for the blow, feeling the pain shoot through her right cheek this time, then another through her left again. Another closer to her eyes. Another on her chin. Another on the bridge of her nose.

It took her a moment to realize he was going at her with both fists, each blow striking another place on her face. She could feel the bruises and taste the blood in her mouth as she strove to get away from him but to no avail. His legs held her firm giving her no chance to escape and no way of defending herself.

_**NO!**_ her mind roared, _**NO MORE.** I got away. I'm not here anymore. This can't be happening. **I GOT AWAY!**_

But the blows kept coming and the pain kept shooting through her face and now down to her neck. Each blow now hit a part of her face that had already been brutalized, adding bruises on top of bruises. If she didn't do something soon he would beat her to death.

__

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface

Consuming, confusing

This lack of self control I fear is never ending

Controlling, I can't seem

To find myself again, my walls are closing in.

Somewhere inside her something snapped into place. All her pain and anguish, her fear, her hatred. It all came bubbling up to the same spot. With one gasp she reached in and pulled all of those emotions together, pushing them into something that she didn't quite understand but that she knew would help. She took a deep breath and pushed it all out, her voice for the first time giving sound to what she could only think before.

**"NO!!!!!"**

Inside the Med Lab at the Xavier Mansion the dormant figure of Regina Creed that floated inside the healing tank suddenly lurched, her back arching as her eyes flew open and a single high pitched noise emanated from her. Everyone in the room grabbed their ears and fell to the floor just as the glass tank she was in shattered, spilling yellow healing fluid onto the tile floor and dropping her body into what was once the base of the tank. The black mask that had supplied her with oxygen was still strapped to her face as her body curled in on itself, her legs being drawn up to her chest in a fetal position.

Logan was the first to recover. Rushing to the tank he stepped over the broken glass and into the base where she lay.

"Gina," he whispered as he knelt down and pushed the wet hair away from her face, "Gina, can ya hear me?"

There was no response, only the soft sound of crying as Regina lay there, fresh tears cascading down her cheeks.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: As stated in the first chapter, the X-MEN don't belong to me, never have probably never will. The song lyrics don't belong to me either. Oh yeah, and I aint making money off of this.

Dragon's Milk:

Chapter 3

by Egypt

Storm stood in the doorway and watched as Jubilee explained to Regina where everything was. It was strange to see her like this, docile and almost cowering. She could now understand why Logan seemed to have a permanent frown. It was very hard to see someone you considered a friend cower whenever you looked at them.

Jubilee turned to look at Storm and gave her a nod. She said a few more things to Regina and then exited the room, closing the door behind her. Heaving a sigh of frustration she leaned against the door and closed her eyes.

"How's it going?" Storm asked as she leaned against the opposite wall.

"Not very well," Jubilee conceited with a sigh. "She hasn't said a word since they found her. The professor says it's trauma related and that it'll pass with time. However, between now and then it would be nice to have Jean here to translate for us."

"Does he know what happened to her yet?"

Jubilee shook her head, her brown eyes opening to meet Storm's blue ones.

"Not a clue but whatever it is she is seriously screwed up. The whole time Hank was running his tests she kept jumping every time he touched her. And Logan, she was so intent on getting away from him that she darn near fell off the table. This isn't the Regina I know. It's like someone replaced her with a little puppy who's scared of it's own shadow."

"If it's this hard on you," Storm said gently, "Imagine how Logan must feel."

"I'm more concerned with how Regina feels," Jubilee said with a sigh of exasperation, "I can't imagine going through life not recognizing anyone. Having friends and family smile at you and say hello and you don't even recognize them."

Storm watched as Jubilee's head fell back against the wall again, her eyes focusing on an unseen spot on the ceiling. The young woman's last comment rang in her head, bringing with it a thought that she knew she shouldn't have but that wouldn't go away.

"Perhaps there is a good side to this," she said softly, almost hoping that Jubilee wouldn't hear her.

"What," the young woman asked, her focus not moving from the ceiling above her, "You mean the whole Sabretooth thing?"

Storm didn't reply. She was a bit ashamed that she had even given voice to the ghastly idea. True, it would be best for Regina to forget Sabretooth but what had she been put through in order to facilitate such a memory loss. Surely the means were not worth the result.

"Your could be right about that one," Jubilee said finally, her brown eyes once again coming to focus on Storm, "But what happens when she finally does find out about him? It'll just start all over again."

Storm had not considered that. It would be foolish to think that if she did find out about Sabretooth that Regina, being as strong willed as she was, would let it alone. She would want to get to know him, to spend time with him…and that would put them right back where they had been.

"To be honest I don't think there'll ever be away to keep her away from him…or him from her."

As much as Storm hated to admit it, Jubilee was right. There was a strong bond between those two, despite Sabretooth's overwhelming urge to kill Regina. Nothing short of death could keep the two apart for long.

"Well," Jubilee sighed and pushed off from the wall, "I suppose I should go check on her. The Professor wanted to get started on those neural scans as soon as I got her dressed."

Storm gave a frown but she too pulled away from the wall.

"I will come as well," she said softly, "Perhaps with us in the room she will feel a bit better about all this."

Jubilee smiled and nodded her thanks. Neither one needed to voice their thoughts to the other. They had seen things like this too often to just discount them to some kind of mental trauma. Both women had a pretty good idea of what had happened to their friend and they felt almost sick about it. However, with Jean gone on vacation with Scott and both being unreachable for the foreseeable future there was no one else to do the neural scans.

"You think we can convince her to allow it?" Storm asked as they both stepped toward the door.

"We can only hope."

The room he stood in was cloaked in darkness with no lights and no windows. He could just make out the gray walls and the many holes that dotted them. He wasn't sure what was going on or where he was. He had never seen a mind this empty. He had looked everywhere and had only found the memories for the last month. After watching those memories he understood why she was acting as she was. He was surprised she had not boarded herself in a room upstairs and refused to come down. The way she had been treated was horrifying. He knew there was no way he could ever tell the others what he had seen. Yet, somehow, he knew that many of them would learn about it sooner or later.

He turned his attention to the room around him, wondering what it's purpose was. It appeared to be a living room but was bare of the wall hangings and furniture. There was nothing that gave it character or distinction. It was just another room. The holes seemed to draw his attention, as if they meant something. He stepped forward, looking at them, trying to see through them. He got close enough to look through one and was puzzled to see a blackness beyond. Everything here was dark and empty. That worried him. He had never been in a mind that felt like this.

Behind him he heard a sound, like a hammer hitting a wall. He turned around and stepped toward the sound squinting into the darkness to see if he could find the source of the noise. A few steps further he saw the outline of someone swinging something at the wall.

"Regina?" he questioned as he stepped closer.

The person didn't answer, just kept swinging at the wall with their weapon. It was like they were trying to take the walls down.

"Regina?" he called as he got closer.

Now he could see a shock of blonde hair as the hammer was swung into the wall again. He took another step, this one putting him right behind her. He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, bringing her around to stare at him.

"Regina, what are you doing?"

She stared at him for a moment, then turned around and swung the hammer again. Xavier reached out and took hold of the weapon, not allowing her to decimate the walls anymore. He didn't understand what she was doing or why she was doing it.

"What are you doing?" he asked again.

__

Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal.

"I gotta find them," she said as she tried to yank the hammer back. Xavier held onto it, not allowing her to have it back. She tried only a few more times before giving up and falling to her knees before the wall to continue it's destruction with her bare hands. She leaned in and began to pull at the plaster and wood trying to pull it apart.

"They have to be here somewhere," she said, "They can't have just disappeared. I have to find them. I'm lost without them."

"What are you looking for Regina?" he sat the hammer down and knelt beside her, once again placing a hand on her shoulder. She shook it off and continued to claw at the wall, her desperation filling the room.

"I have to find them," she said, almost in tears, "They can't have just disappeared, You don't loose them like that. I gotta find them."

"Gotta find what?" he was getting desperate. If he was right about what this room represented then her tearing at the walls was not a good thing.

He reached out and grabbed her wrists, for the first time noticing the blood on her hands. No doubt it was from her digging at the walls.

"What are you looking for?" his voice was commanding, demanding an answer.

"My memories," she said as if he should know, "I have to find them. I know they have to be here somewhere. I want them back. I wanna know who I am, I wanna know you, I wanna know them all. I wanna remember. Why can't I remember? Where did they go?"

He just sat there and stared at her as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. On the outside it was what she had been through that was getting to her, but in here it was the loss of her identity. She had no idea who she was, no idea what she was. She had lost everything that made her who she was. It would be enough to make anyone go insane, but somehow she had managed to keep it together. The question was for how long? How long would it be before she lost all control of herself? If she lost control they were all in trouble. With the level of her powers and the amount of control they demanded, if she lost that chances were no one would be able to get anywhere near her, and if she lost control of her powers chances are that many people would loose a lot more than their memories. He couldn't let that happen. He had to find a way around it, a way to retain her control until they could find some answers.

As she began to sob he pulled her to him, allowing her to cry as much as she wished. As she cried he surrounded her with a sense of calm and peace. He permeated her with it, focusing on her mind and calming her fear and her urgency.

On the outside, Professor Xavier's brown furrowed as he used his mutation to put Regina into a deep, calming sleep.

Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy stood in his lab staring at the closed file before him. It was all he could do to keep from ripping it to shreds right then and there. The results that were contained within that file made his gut wrench, as well as his stomach. He was torn between deep sadness and regret, shame, and just flat out anger. Never in all his days as a Doctor had he ever seen such a case as this and it was made worse by the fact that the 'victim' was someone that he considered to be a friend. Had he truly been inclined to violence he may have given in and allowed himself to release his anger in any way he possible could. But that was not Dr. McCoy. He was a gentle soul who cared for all living things and knew that if he allowed his anger to get the better of him he would regret it.

He took a deep breath and pulled his attention away from the folder choosing instead to focus on something else, anything else. He tried going over the notes from one of his fusion experiments, but it didn't help. The information that was on those test results kept creeping into his thoughts and shoving all else aside. He couldn't concentrate on anything. His mind kept focusing on what had happened to his friend. He fought to control his emotions, to conceal the tears that wanted to well up in his eyes. He was grateful when the sound of the Mansion's Intercom interrupted his thoughts. The respite was short lived though as the Professor's voice was heard over the speaker.

"Hank," his voice sounded strained and filled with fatigue, "What is the progress of the tests?"

McCoy took a deep breath and spoke into the speaker.

"The inference of the inquiries are ready for your revision. I shall convey them to you presently."

He was not sure if there was a reply or not, he didn't wait to see. With a determination that he did not really feel he took the folder from the table where it lay and left the lab on his way up to the Professor's Office.

Wolverine crouched near a tree and waited, his senses alert for the time when the other would attack. He concentrated on the air around him and the sound waves that traveled through that air. He sensed the disturbance before he even heard a sound, his nose and the change in air pressure alerting him to the approach of his opponent. Almost right on cue the large blonde man came rushing out of the woods straight at Wolverine, his claws ready to rend flesh from bone.

Wolverine lurched back, his adamantium claws jumping from his knuckles on demand as he fended off a swipe from his opponent countering with his own swipe that was also fended off. The blonde man swung again, this time catching Wolverine in the shoulder. A loud growl escaped the smaller man as he lashed out at his opponent. His wound was fully healed before his claws cleared his enemy's leg coming back bloody.

They traded slashes and punches, neither man gaining ground. The fight was in essence useless, it was just a way for Wolverine to keep his mind off of what was happening right now in the Med Lab. He had chosen the Danger room because he knew that it was sound proof and the last thing he wanted was to hear Regina scream. He knew that it probably wouldn't happen, but there was still that chance. No matter how careful or how well trained the telepath was every once in a while a mistake was made. Usually it was too deep of a probe, or the telepath delving into a part of the subject's mind that was blocked off and closed to everything else. When these things happened it resulted in pain for the subject and usually they cried out. He couldn't stand to be there if that happened.

He lashed out again with his claws, this time catching his opponent in the gut and eliciting a roar from him. The smell of blood filled the room, but Wolverine didn't notice. His mind was somewhere else, on someone else. Not for the first time the picture of her inside that healing tank flashed in his mind. He saw her floating in the yellow liquid, her hair suspended above her as the air bubbles made their way through it's thick golden strands on their way to the top.

No one had told him how they had found her or exactly what had prompted them to put her into the healing tank. Everyone in the mansion knew that, like Wolverine himself, Regina hated the healing tanks. They reminded her too much of the tanks that the Weapon X project had used in their experiments. He couldn't blame her. He still had nightmares about those damned experiments, and he didn't remember half of what she did.

Another loud roar brought his thoughts back to the battle that he was fighting. It took him a moment to realize that the roar had come from his own throat. He looked down to see his opponent lying on the ground before him in a pool of blood. The wounds were healing, but much slower than Wolverine's did. It was apparent that his opponent was beaten, at least this time.

"If dat what happen when yo' get distracted I hate ta see yo' concentrate."

Wolverine jumped and spun around to find the Cajun known as Gambit leaning against one of the trees playing with a deck of cards. A low growl escaped Wolverine's throat, but that was where it stopped. With a single flex of his arm muscles the claws were drawn back into their living sheaths and hidden away from the world.

"Whadda ya doin here Cajun?" Logan growled as he turned off the simulation, revealing simple bare metal walls where just moments before there had been a great forest.

"Gambit come ta tell ya de Professor done wit Gina."


End file.
